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2K BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, active m43, $995
  • 4493 Replies sorted by
  • It still cracks me up when someone posts crappy audio complaints for a camera.

    You'll be surprised, but some people have hard time understanding how you can make it worse than preamps in $100 compact.

  • I am wondering if anyone has any experience with ENG lenses on micro 4/3 (particularly on BMPCC or BMCC)? I have two old Canon J16 8-128 f1.8 ENG lenses in great condition and wondering if I should get some adapters or just sell them off. The adapters are like $150 because they include a built in tripod mount (I wouldnt want to let these lenses hang off the camera).

  • You'll be surprised, but some people have hard time understanding how you can make it worse than preamps in $100 compact.

    The $100 compact has to try to be all things to the people who would use them. That's not what these are.

    There's plenty of ENG cameras out there. They don't need raw and 10bit 422 is more or less overkill for those applications anyhow. Though far from perfect, most of the complaints I liken to the folks that would buy a sports car and then bitch about trunk space. They just like to bitch.

  • They don't need raw and 10bit 422 is more or less overkill for those applications anyhow.

    I see absolutely no logic in all this claims about "pure cine cameras from BM". Nothing currently prevents to make proper preamps and record sound direct. Especially for the main BMPCC market.

    As I said, many guys will be utterly disappointed after they will realize how easy it is to add ProRes and raw video to modern cameras. It was just not the goal yet :-) But things change and change fast.

    Use and prize very good cameras that BM made. But remember that it is just embryo inside the egg waiting for big dinosaurs outside to be crushed.

  • No thumbnail review? Does that mean you can't playback and watch a shot after you've taken it?

  • Use and prize very good cameras that BM made. But remember that it is just embryo inside the egg waiting for big dinosaurs outside to be crushed.

    The big dinosaurs didn't give people what they wanted in the DV era. Why would they now? They're very slow and often incredibly dumb beasts at reacting to what's happening or what people really want. They're a lot better at cranking out superfluous variations on the same crap, creating a false sense of breadth to their product catalog.

    I expect 4K with shitty compressed codecs being the priority from the Big Dinosaurs. I'll happily eat my words if I see anything from one at anywhere near BMD prices shooting uncompressed or raw. They've had the ability since day one. This forum exists largely because curious individuals have proven that the Big Dinosaurs sell cameras that don't perform to half of their real potential.

    No doubt Sony or Canon or Nikon or Panasonic could do a camera that, at the same price as any model BMD, beat it in every key area. But they won't. BMD and smaller companies don't have to create a fictitious ceiling on the capabilities of their inexpensive products. The Big Dinosaurs do.

  • So, can we return the BMCC camera if BM doesn't do anything about the 'professional' audio listed in their specification. Say everything stops here and BM decided not to release any firmware to improve the audio. Not that I will return it, I really love the image, but 'legally' do we have a case here?

    I don't really care about other features like ssd formatting, delete clips, battery etc.... as I was fully aware of all this missing features before I buy the camera. However, claiming that it's "professional audio" is rather deceiving here.

  • @Pixcanfly Most of the "professionals" I know shooting with smaller cameras understand professional audio to mean dual-system sound. I rarely use on-camera audio for anything except reference audio -- although I am keen to see how the BMPC works with a JuicedLink Riggy pre-amp.

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    after they will realize how easy it is to add ProRes and raw video to modern cameras.

    Noob question: given that ProRes is Apple proprietary codec. Does camera company pay fees on its use? COuld it be the reason for not adopting it from big company? Is there a free comparable one?

  • Noob question: given that ProRes is Apple proprietary codec. Does camera company pay fees on its use? COuld it be the reason for not adopting it from big company? Is there a free comparable one?

    This is complex question. ProRes can be replaced by some new industry standard, as making such format is very easy.

    No doubt Sony or Canon or Nikon or Panasonic could do a camera that, at the same price as any model BMD, beat it in every key area. But they won't. BMD and smaller companies don't have to create a fictitious ceiling on the capabilities of their inexpensive products. The Big Dinosaurs do.

    I am sad to disappoint BM here. Dinosaurs will make such cameras. They spotted the niche and are ready to make the strike.

  • If this is the case, then I'm looking EXTREMELY forward to when the dinosaurs can roam again. Just please keep it in the m43 sensor realm though, Panasonic :)

  • It will take a long time to replace ProRes or DNxHD as a desired and trusted acquisition format, and not just because of acquisition but post processing and delivering.

    They are deeply rooted in most post processes today.

    I can believe that larger companies will consider using an open standard like CinemaDNG in the near future, but as long as they're pushing proprietary media (Sony and Panasonic) or not implementing DNxHD or ProRes in camera then they're still going to fall slightly short.

    Just slightly.

    Afterward, focusing on facets of image and not just resolution or noise floor.

    if Panasonic finally got it together and released a GH2 successor with at least RAW and 13 stops I can't say that I would not buy it. Only if it had the GH2 core image and color, and not the GH3.

  • I would be heartily surprised if you see a camera released from any of the major manufacturers that does any of this at under three grand, within the next two years.

  • It will take a long time to replace ProRes or DNxHD as a desired and trusted acquisition format, and not just because of acquisition but post processing and delivering.

    Yep, but making good and fast converter that you can download for free solves this problem also :-)

  • It would help get it into the post chain, for sure, ideally you remove the conversion step to avoid at generation loss, save time etc. but even now we are still converting many formats so its probably not a big deal if its fast.

    Still, it seems a two to three year forecast before this happens sub 3K, or even 6K if canon has anything to say about it.

  • @kholi

    Right now it is only management decisions, not technical issues. All big guys have all the tech. As I said, all of them can release cameras with raw and ProRes-like format even in 2013.

  • I am sad to disappoint BM here. Dinosaurs will make such cameras. They spotted the niche and are ready to make the strike.

    Maybe you know something that is counter to their history serving this market segment. After more than ten years of getting it mostly wrong I don't have your faith. Outside of Panasonic and JVC the Dinosaurs have never given an honest attempt at a product that actually tried, however flawed or incomplete it still was. The niche has been here the whole time with their needs not being served.

    And it's always been the small vendor who has added to or fixed the flawed functionality of the Dinosaur. Always.

  • Right now it is only management decisions, not technical issues. All big guys have all the tech. As I said, all of them can release cameras with raw and ProRes-like format even in 2013.

    Right now? Always. This isn't a new niche. This is a management culture that's pervasive and has been making decisions against what you're suggesting all the way through the tape-based portion of the digital video revolution.

  • Right now? Always

    Nope, it is not true.

    This is a management culture that's pervasive and has been making decisions against what you're suggesting all the way through the tape-based portion of the digital video revolution.

    Big companies are far from being your friends, but they are not universal evil who do not want to do something to hurt you. They have quite clear business logic. Niche of such cameras is growing fast. And thanks for tech advancements such features can be added almost for free. Be sure - this guy will use opportunity.

  • Re:audio

    You can select between MIC or LINE in the menu for the 3.5mm audio input. That means you can use your preamp to monitor your levels.

  • I do not doubt that it can be done or will be done, will it be done right (optional on board rcirding formats that include raw, 13+ stops, color, non-proprietary media or more affordable proprietary media), at 6K and under, and within the next two years camera released.

    I don't think so, but we will see. In the meantime pocket and 2.5k are killer images.

  • if Panasonic finally got it together and released a GH2 successor with at least RAW and 13 stops I can't say that I would not buy it. Only if it had the GH2 core image and color, and not the GH3.

    Agreed. I would possibly believe this move from them. While Sony and Canon failed to deliver progressive, Panasonic did. While Sony and Canon failed to deliver 24P, Panasonic did (and JVC). But it was a small, cottage vendor who proved that even back in the DV days we could have all had uncompressed 444 with enhanced DR streamed off those cameras.

    And that was the tape days. They carried their bad habits into DSLRs where Panasonic, again, spanked them. And, again, small cottage and open source vendors showed how all these products weren't performing at half their capabilities.

    If Sony finally wised up and matched or beat BMD cameras on key features plus price I'd still go BMD because their sensors, all the way up to the Fxx line, have video-like "rolloff" in highlights and why I'd never replace my GH2 with a GH3.

    If it weren't for smaller, cottage vendors making an impact Sony would still be trying to convince Hollywood that a 2/3" ENG camera shooting 3:1:1 compressed video was better than shooting on 35mm film and getting false idols among their ranks to say it was true.

  • While I'd like to believe that Panny will do something, I doubt it will be enough. While Panny are revolutionary compared to the other DSLR makers, they are still conservative compared to someone like BMD. I expect they will do something like a more advanced codec, maybe proprietary, maybe a higher-end flavour of H264/H265, or maybe even Prores etc. But I doubt they'll give us RAW anytime soon - they would not want you to be restricted to one manfacturer's high-end SD card. And they certainly wouldn't stick an SSD into a 'enthusiast' camera. And I'd expect them cut back on sensor quality and DR vs BMD.

    Look how long they were talking about global shutters (the GH2 was supposed to have one for chrissake). Panny will pick one (or max 2) higher end features, and say 'that way we don't just get the few people interested in cinema quality, but prosumers looking to upgrade just one notch too'. They will always play for numbers. And they have their own higher-end cameras to worry about.

    re. BMD and Prores, they clearly worked closely with Apple from the start. Look how the BMCC uses Thunderbolt instead of USB3 etc.

    @BurnetRhoades, highlight rolloff shouldn't matter much if you shoot RAW - (assuming your highlights aren't already clipped) you just create your own rolloff curve.

  • I think we are all went offtopic here. We'll have place and time to talk soon about it.

    Look how long they were talking about global shutters (the GH2 was supposed to have one for chrissake).

    Mostly some rumors sites are talking about it :-)

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev, Panny's engineers actually said in a published interview that they were working on a global shutter sensor for the GH2 - but then management decided they wanted to sell 3D TVs instead, so those resources were diverted to their lousy 3D m43 lens.